And A Cherry On Top
by HiddenValor
Summary: Set after the movie Zoom. It's a little easier to tell someone you care about her when she already knows. ConnorSummer. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Zoom...darn.

A/N: Constructive feedback is encouraged. Also, go check out my other stories: "Kicking and Screaming" and "The Pursuit of unPerfection" (SGA), "Today, I'm Just Irene" and "My Gabriel, Not You" (Heroes), and "Aslan's Talk" (Chronicles of Narnia). Most of them have been recently updated--and have gotten good reviews.

XxXxXx

Summer was the only one who understood Connor. Sure, he was part of the Zenith team again, but he barely knew these kids; he even had to get to know his own brother again. They either alienated him, like Dylan did, or acted like what he went through wasn't a big deal, like Cindy did.

But Summer was different. Her ability to know and understand made her the most unique out of the entire team. She truly did live up to her superhero name: Wonder.

Out of the entire team, Connor admired her the most—even if only from a distance.

It was at a distance now, that he peeked over his food and caught glimpses of her sitting with Dylan on the other side of the cafeteria. She was smiling and laughing as Dylan tickled her sides and stroked her long red hair. Connor almost couldn't stand it. He didn't even try to taste his food; he just sat there and poked it with his fork. It looked like spaghetti, but he couldn't actually tell what it was.

"Hey, Connor," said a familiar voice. It was Jack. He went to Connor's table and sat down next to him, smiling like a buffoon and holding an ice-cold Diet Coke. He had lost some weight since Connor had come back, so he had been much more energetic lately. "Why are you sitting over here by yourself?" He asked, but he hardly looked concerned.

"I just felt like eating by myself today," Connor replied lamely, though it was no secret that he usually ate alone every day.

"Okay," Jack said absentmindedly. He took a swig of his soda and got up. "Remember, we've got a mission debriefing at 2:00 today."

"Yeah, I remember."

Jack turned to leave and finished his soda, throwing it away as he left the cafeteria.

A few minutes later, Connor sighed, tossed his half-eaten lunch into the trashcan, and left, running his hand through his shaggy brown hair as he walked out the door.

XxXxXx

Connor found himself in the cafeteria again, sitting in front of a banana split with a cherry on top. It was late in the night, and only one section of the cafeteria was lighted. He unconsciously fiddled with the plastic spoon in his hand, not really caring that the ice cream was melting. His mind was elsewhere.

Summer had done wonderfully today. Her abilities were developing quickly and gaining strength. She also looked wonderful. Connor had never realized how preoccupied he had been with her looks. He supposed the red hair appealed to him, especially when set against her white suit. He smiled at the thought.

His smile quickly faded. He doubted it would ever work between them, even if Dylan wasn't in the picture. Connor was too reckless—too dangerous; it was a residual effect of the Gamma-13 treatments. Even though Jack had managed to reverse the effects the Gamma-13 had on his moral alignment, Connor's personality was still affected. He wasn't the same Connor anymore. Still, it didn't keep Connor from dreaming.

As if on cue, Summer quietly pushed the cafeteria door open and stepped inside. She was dressed in a tan tank top and a pair of blue baggy pajama pants. Connor looked up and hastily stood as she went to him. "Connor?" she said sleepily and blinked against the light. "What are you doing up so late?"

He gestured to his banana split. "I was hungry for some ice cream," he smirked. A love of extravagant ice cream concoctions was one of the few things Connor had in common with his brother. "Why are _you_ up?"

"I felt—" She shook her head and looked away. "It's nothing. I'll just go back to bed." She turned to leave, but Connor called her back.

"Do you want an ice cream sundae or something?" he asked. "I can make one for you, if you'd like."

Summer smiled but shook her head, making her red hair sway behind her back. "No thanks," she said. Her teeth were quite white and perfectly straight; Connor had never noticed that before.

He blinked several times to clear his thoughts. "At least help me finish this banana split," he implored. He handed his spoon to her. She looked back and forth between him, the ice cream, and the spoon several times before taking the spoon and sitting across from Connor. Connor got another spoon for himself and sat down. He let Summer take the first bite.

The banana split was almost gone before either one of them spoke another word. "You can have the rest," Summer said and set her spoon down.

"Do you want the cherry?" Connor asked. He picked up the discarded bright red berry from the plastic tray and held it by the stem. It was covered in a thin film of whipped cream.

Summer nodded, took the cherry from him, and popped it into her mouth. A small smile played on her lips. "That was good."

"So," Connor began, gently swirling the leftover ice cream around with his spoon. "Why'd you really come down here, Summer?"

She looked away before answering. "My ability is strong enough now that I can feel things from a distance instead being physically close to someone. It even wakes me up at night sometimes." She looked at Connor. "You're full of conflicting emotions, Connor. I can tell that something is seriously bothering you, even without my ability."

"Then you probably know what's bothering me," Connor mused, his face immediately sobering.

"Yes," she whispered. An awkward silence followed. She tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear and stared at the banana split.

Connor rested his arms on the table and stared at the banana split too. His heart was racing. How long had she known? Would this change his relationship to the rest of the team? If Dylan ever found out, then it most certainly would change. On the outside, Dylan didn't seem like the violent jealous type, but Connor had seen Dylan do some pretty uncharacteristic things when fighting crime. Under his unkempt hair and California surfer demeanor, he was passionate about everything he set his mind to—and that included Summer.

After a few minutes, Connor picked up the plastic tray, got up, and threw it away. When he got back to the table, Summer had moved to a seat next to his. He sat down and turned slightly to face her. She unconsciously played with a lock of her hair, twisting it around her finger, unwinding it, and twisting it again.

"Summer, you know that I care about you," Connor said quietly. "I only want what makes you happy."

"That's what Dylan says," Summer replied. She looked him straight in the eye. "But underneath all that, it hurts you to see me with him."

Connor looked away and rested his chin on his hand.

"And I'm sorry that I can't do anything about it," she continued. Her voice began to waver, as if she was trying to convince herself of that. She must be raging her own battle within herself, just like Connor.

"Summer," Connor said softly. "I'm going to ask you a question. I want you to answer honestly, and we don't ever have to talk about this again if you don't want to." He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Do you think you could ever care about me the way I care about you?"

Without so much as a second thought, she answered, "I already do." She looked away and closed her eyes to hold back the tears; it was not what she had meant to say, but it was the truth.

Connor gently touched her face and wiped a tear away with his thumb. "I'm sorry," he whispered and leaned closer to her. "I didn't mean to make you unhappy."

Summer covered his hand with hers and shook her head. "This never leaves this room," she whispered in reply. She squeezed his hand and managed a small smile.

Connor nodded and realized how close his face was to hers. He closed his eyes and kissed her softly. She gingerly touched his cheek with her other hand and kissed him back.

Someone cleared his throat, causing Summer to jump in surprise. Connor quickly withdrew his hand from her face and scooted his chair a few inches to the left. His face dropped when he saw who had entered the cafeteria.

It was Dylan…and he didn't look pleased. He leaned backward against the wall next to the door with his arms crossed over his chest. "Summer," he said firmly. "Let's go." He kept his gaze firmly locked with Connor's, trying to stare him down. Connor stared back, daring him to be the one to look away.

Summer felt each man's resentment and winced, knowing that she was partly responsible. She went to Dylan and tugged on his white tee shirt. "Let's go," she whispered anxiously. Dylan nodded, but never blinked or looked away. The furrow in his brow deepened. Only when Summer dragged him out the door did he look away.

Connor released a breath that he never realized he had been holding. He smoothed down his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. He was never going to hear the end of it.

But Summer was a really good kisser.

XxXxXx

A/N: Wanted: Beta reader. I've never had one, and probably need one. If interested, drop me a line.


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